The Atlanta Hawks have completed a trade with the Houston Rockets, re-acquiring the draft rights to Alpha Kaba in exchange for Cody Zeller and a 2028 second-round draft pick, it was announced today. Kaba was originally selected by the Hawks with the 60th overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft.

24 hours after defeating the reigning NBA Champion Boston Celtics, the Houston Rockets are back in action against the Atlanta Hawks. The Rockets' eastern conference tour has been a success, delivering two victories against the top-ranked Cleveland Cavaliers in addition to beating the Celtics.

The Rockets are acquiring their 2028 second-round draft pick from Atlanta in exchange for taking on the salary of veteran Hawks center Cody Zeller.

While their Western Conference competitors engineered seismic deals that altered the NBA landscape — trading for Luka Dončić, Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler and De’Aaron Fox — the Houston Rockets remained at a relative standstill as Thursday’s NBA trade deadline passed.

The Houston Rockets were rumored to be contemplating making a major move at the trade deadline this year, but they have largely added to the edges of their team. That continued with a trade made right before the buzzer sounded,